Many people are looking for viable Google Drive Alternatives for their documents and data in this age of declining online privacy and rising corporate spying. Why would you want to store your personal information with the world’s largest advertising corporation, after all?
This is especially true when you consider Google’s financial motivation for collecting and analyzing your information. Even if finding reliable Google Drive Alternatives isn’t a high priority, it’s another service worth switching if you want to recover your privacy completely.
You’ll also have more control over your data if you choose reputable and secure Google Drive Alternatives. While avoiding surveillance capitalism, you will also be supporting some wonderful privacy-focused businesses.
Data security on Google Drive
First and foremost, we must make a point. Google Drive protects your data against intruders. This, however, is not the same as privacy. This is because Google has the ability to read your information if they so desire. What? It appears to be suggesting that they want you to pretend as though your data is private, even if they have the ability to look at it whenever they want.
Although we don’t genuinely provide privacy, shouldn’t you act as though we do? Unless you work for a company that requires you to utilize Google Drive, switching to a more private cloud storage provider should be reasonably simple. Replacing it will be a simple first step toward replacing all of your Google apps and services in the long run.
When you consider how much sensitive data you’re storing in the cloud, finding a safe cloud storage provider becomes even more important. When you consider the number of heinous cloud storage hacks that have occurred over the years, you might feel compelled to act.
Top 5 Best Google Drive Alternatives
The fact that Google Drive Alternatives with a variety of other services, like Google Docs, Calendar, and more, makes it difficult to abandon it. It may be difficult to replace Drive if you use the entire suite of Google products. If you have some flexibility in your other apps and services, I can show you some secure cloud storage options that can work like Google Drive alternatives while also keeping your data private.
1. Mega.io
MEGA could be the Google Drive substitute you’re looking for if you use Google Drive as an individual rather than as part of a team or as an employee. MEGA offers desktop and mobile clients for every major operating system, including Linux, among its Drive-like features. MEGA’s end-to-end, zero-knowledge encryption, like Tresorit’s, means that not even MEGA can read your data. They also have a generous free plan with 15 GB of storage available (which you can boost to as much as 50 GB if you complete certain tasks).
One disadvantage of this service is that it has daily data transfer limits, which means that if you try to send too much data at once, updates may not be synced until the next day. While MEGA has a lot to offer consumers, it doesn’t appear to be as good for businesses looking for secure storage. Their business plans might come with limitless storage and transfer capacity, as well as built-in chat, contacts, and file preview features. On the other hand, Tresorit and other providers like pCloud, on the other hand, have more robust corporate options.
Another thing to keep in mind about MEGA is that New Zealand law requires them to include some concerning clauses in their terms of service. If you’re considering MEGA for corporate cloud storage, you’ll want to read the TOS thoroughly. More information can be found in Restore Privacy’s MEGA cloud storage evaluation.
2. Sync.com
For both people and organizations, this Canadian startup is one of the best alternatives to Google Drive. The service boasts a zero-knowledge architecture that appears to be quite stable, as well as features that will appeal to a wide range of users. The Sync.com free plan may be appropriate for people who only need a few gigabytes of storage (5 GB) and don’t require a Linux sync client. All of your information is kept in Canada by the company.
For enterprises, Sync.com includes a lot of useful features. It offers membership rates that include the ability to read Office documents straight from the web, securely share and receive files, and unlimited storage and bandwidth. HIPAA, GDPR, and PIPEDA are among the industry requirements that the plans follow.
Sync.com offers a variety of file-sharing services. If you wish to utilize Sync.com for business, there are two main negatives to consider. One is that you must save all of your data in the Sync folder on Sync.com. This could cause problems with other important corporate programs and services. Another potential disadvantage is that the corporation has yet to provide the results of any third-party audits. In Restore Privacy’s Sync.com review, you can learn more about these Google Drive Alternatives.
3. Tresorit
Tresorit is our pick for the best Google Drive alternative today. It offers a full set of features that could be useful for individuals and teams, as well as businesses. You also get end-to-end zero-knowledge encryption that ensures your data is really private and secure — even from the people at Tresorit.
If you are on an individual plan, your data will be stored in Ireland. But if you spring for a business account, you can select from several jurisdictions to meet your regulatory and business requirements. Tresorit has also been audited to confirm that the product delivers on its promises. Ernst & Young did it in 2019 and rated Tresorit as a trustworthy service.
Tresorit doesn’t connect to the same range of business apps that Google Drive does, but it does integrate with Outlook, Gmail, and Active Directory, making it easy to use Tresorit with your existing infrastructure.
Their business-oriented plans also give you tools for managing users and their data across the organization. When you factor in Tresorit compliance with HIPAA, GDPR, FedRAMP, and numerous other data protection regulations, you get a secure cloud storage offering that works in a business environment.
Tresorit is a great Google Drive replacement for business users but might be overkill for individual users. The free plan offered by the company is very limited, while individuals will probably have little use for the business features while still needing to pay the product’s relatively high subscription fee.
4. NordLocker.com
NordLocker is a stripped-down version of the other Google Drive alternatives we’re looking at. This is due to the fact that it is essentially a file encryption system with cloud storage capabilities. If you need a safe Google Drive alternative, the NordLocker Premium plan provides 500 GB of storage at a very low price. If you require the highest level of protection for your cloud storage, choose NordLocker for business or personal usage. Traditional secure cloud storage providers, such as Tresorit or Sync.com, encrypt your data in transit and on their servers.
In these circumstances, no one, not even they, can decode your data. Traditional cloud storage services, on the other hand, do not encrypt data while it is stored on your devices. If a hostile actor obtains control of your device, they will have complete access to all of your files. You may use NordLocker to create encrypted lockers on your device or in the cloud. NordLocker has one more trick up its sleeve.
Like everyone else, the business provides its own secure cloud storage for lockers. However, NordLocker lockers can be used with any other cloud storage provider. That’s a significant achievement. It means you can use other cloud storage services (like Google Drive) to store lockers and be confident that your data is safe. In Restore Privacy’s comprehensive NordLocker review, you can learn more about this useful program.
5. Nextcloud.com
Nextcloud is a client-server software suite that may be used to develop and manage file hosting services. Nextcloud can be used as a secure cloud storage service for individuals, a functionally identical alternative for Google Drive in the workplace, or anything in between, depending on how it is configured. If you have the necessary technical skills, you can host Nextcloud on your own servers, which allows for a very secure setup.
You can also use Nextcloud through a third-party service provider to avoid the hassles of setup and maintenance. Nextcloud is also extremely adaptable and extensible. Based on what we’ve observed so far, Nextcloud appears to be one of the most viable Google Drive alternatives. However, there are a few disadvantages.
To begin with, Nextcloud’s end-to-end (E2E) encryption is still in beta. This emphasizes the importance of hosting your Nextcloud system behind a secure firewall. Another concern is that you must be aware of the security and privacy of each component you connect to Nextcloud. It takes some technical knowledge to use Nextcloud as a secure and private alternative to Google Drive. Despite this, Nextcloud appears to have a bright future as a powerful, flexible, and free cloud storage solution once they iron out their E2E encryption technology. Restore Privacy has written a comprehensive evaluation of Nextcloud.